I’ve been Asado Loco, or “barbecue crazy”, lately. This Baja-inspired meal is full of fresh flavors and crunch.

These fresh shrimp need to be marinated for up to an hour to infuse full on margarita flavor, but these little fellas are worth the wait. Serve with Cotija Street Corn for a south of the border barbecue.

Cilantro Margarita Shrimp Asado

Ingredients

1 pound of shrimp

Juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup tequila

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

Marinate shrimp with the rest of the ingredients for 30 minutes to one hour.

At this point, you can soak your wood or bamboo skewers if you choose to kabob your shrimp. It is vital to submerge them in water, or you will be faced with flaming sticks on the grill. I forgot to soak them, and opted out of skewering with dry bamboo. I was not in the mood for fiery batons of seafood.

Also, if you plan to use wood chips in your grill, soak them in water at this time, for about 30 minutes.

After everything has been marinated and soaked, brush shrimp with olive oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat.

Serve with wedge of lime, and Cotija Street Corn, recipe below.

I love cotija cheese. It is a firmer, aged queso fresco that adds a funky-salty flavor to the sweet grilled corn.

This recipe was inspired by the grilled corn sold on the streets of Mexico, often times with a creamy mayo or sour cream mixture. But its corn– I’ve got to bathe it in butter.

Cotija Street Corn

Ingredients

4 ears of corn

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled

Husk the corn, and remove the silk.

Mix melted butter, chili powder and lime for basting.

Grill on medium heat for 8 to 12 minutes, brushing on the melted butter mixture every few minutes.

Sprinkle cotija over the corn directly after removing from heat. Serve with chili lime butter.